A Clothing Cliché
by scrittore18
Summary: In which Sinead learns never to bet against Dan Cahill. A shamelessly clichéd oneshot involving 'awful' clothes and an extremely confused Jonah Wizard.
1. Chapter 1

**So I wrote a small portion of this last year, never did anything with it, found it yesterday, and suddenly got inspired to finish it. Has that ever happened to anyone else? Anyways, like the summary stated, this is REALLY clichéd. I would apologize, but I had too much fun writing it to feel sorry. Haha. ;)**

—

Sinead stared at the score on the screen, horror overtaking her.

40-43

Her team had just _lost._

"B-but this doesn't make sense! The Patriots haven't lost to the Broncos in six years!"

Dan was smirking at her, surprisingly not saying a word. But it wouldn't have mattered anyways; he probably would have been drowned out by Nellie, who was in hysterics beside them on the couch.

"I c-can't wait t-to see th-this!" the older girl barely got out, tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

Sinead's heart plummeted as she remembered the terms of her and Dan's bet, made only days ago.

 _ **~Flashback~**_

" _I'm 100% positive they'll beat your team," Sinead said dismissively._

" _The Broncos are going to win I tell ya, they've played better than ever this year! In fact, this is their best season in a long time."_

" _They've lost more games than they've won!"_

" _But still, I have faith in them," Dan stated, then his face lit up and he shot a side-glance at her. "In fact, I'm willing to bet on it!"_

" _On the game?" Sinead snorted with an eye roll. "You're going to lose."_

" _So you're in?"_

" _Name your terms."_

" _Let me think…" Dan turned to Nellie and Amy, who were silently watching nearby. "Any ideas?"_

" _This is yours and Sinead's deal," Amy said, but a speculative gleam flickered in Nellie's eyes._

" _Hey aren't we going to that celebratory party of the Holts this weekend that they're throwing for winning their State tournament? And won't Jonah be there too?"_

" _Yes?" Sinead said it like a question, still thinking of what she could gain here. There was no way Dan would win this one, and there were so many things she could get him to do._

' _Should I tell him no ninja talk for a week? Or that he can't fight with Amy over stupid things? Or maybe this would be a good time to talk him into helping me get Ned back for that one incident—'_

" _Sinead can't stand Jonah, remember?" Nellie was saying, and as Sinead comprehended that this was true, the older girl was going on, "So if she loses get her to talk like Jonah or something, OR—" Nellie's eyes gleamed even brighter, causing Sinead's heart to sink—"she has to wear his 'awful clothes' one day of the trip._ _ **All**_ _day."_

 _She was using a direct quote from Sinead, voiced only days ago. While it was true that Sinead couldn't stand Jonah's egotistical attitude, she had been joking when she said what she had about his clothes. But it still sounded like one of the last things she wanted to do. Sinead_ _ **knew**_ _how to dress, and her celebrity cousin didn't, choosing to wear what he would deem 'street clothes' but as she liked to refer to them as, 'a gangsta nightmare'._

" _That would be epic!" Dan's voice exclaimed, and even Amy was laughing and nodding her head._

" _His clothes? How would that be epic? It's hardly—"_

" _You couldn't tell him."_

 _The statement made her halt. "Him? You mean Jonah?"_

" _Yep." Dan smirked. "So if you lose, you have to figure out some way to get his clothes and wear them, but he couldn't be let in on it."_

" _But that's crazy!" Sinead felt her heart pick up at the thought of Jonah's likely reaction. "He would think that I'm one of his crazy fangirls or something if he didn't know!"_

" _Oh, so you're already backing out?"_

 _Immediately calming when she remembered what the bet was placed on, she rolled her eyes at him. "Of course I'm not, because I'm not going to lose. So the bet is on. Now here are_ _ **my**_ _terms…"_

 **~End Flashback~**

Of course, _then_ she had been so confident in her team and their past record that she hadn't even considered losing the bet.

Now, she stared at her cousins and Nellie in defeat, but didn't let on to how she felt. The only solace she could find was that so far, (though they had only arrived this morning) she hadn't even had to speak to Jonah besides a quick 'hello'. Even now, the four gathered on the couch were the only ones at the Holt's house, the others deciding to watch the game at a local sports bar.

"Good luck getting his clothes, and _then_ wearing them all day."

That came from Dan, but the other two were still laughing, so Sinead included them in her scowl. Then she straightened. All she could do at this point was make the best of it.

"Piece of cake," she said confidently.

—

The next morning, she had to admit that it had been anything _but_ a piece of cake.

It had been so nerve-wracking to sneak around Jonah's room last night; what if he came back early and had walked in and caught her? So she had tried to hurry, which made it harder to find things. Finally, she had found an Aerosmith t-shirt (one of her favorite bands), a dark grey bomber jacket, and some black wind pants. She wasn't crazy about the pants, but felt like she was running out of time and figured they would fit her. On the way out she had spotted a snapback and grabbed that too.

Now though, she frowned at the hat, then back at her reflection in the mirror, not sure if she should wear it. But the rest of the outfit she felt like she pulled off.

She had never seen Jonah in this type of jacket so it had surprised her, but it actually looked good with the light tones of the t-shirt. Even the pants weren't bad, though the entire outfit felt a little bit too baggy for her taste. Sinead was used to preppy clothes, and most of her wardrobe was more form-fitting.

But this would probably be as good as it got. Now, to think of an excuse as to why she was wearing his stuff, not to mention why she had sneaked them. She wracked her brain but came up with nothing that would sound believable. Finally, she decided to just play it off, act like it was no big deal, and hope that Jonah would go along with it. It was bound to fail, but she could tell him tomorrow right? After all, the terms of the bet were only in effect today.

Groaning to herself, she reluctantly made her way to the stairs, knowing she couldn't put it off anymore. Already, she had skipped breakfast, and Dan hadn't been too happy about that, demanding via text that she make an appearance soon to uphold her end of the deal. Sinead had almost pointed out that the bet didn't mention where she had to _be_ all day, but knew that it was a cop-out. And though she had her share of faults, cheating wasn't one of them.

Hearing her cousin's laughter coming from the Holt's large den made her pause, but again, she made her feet start walking again. Maybe she could slide in the back and no one would notice her attire. With some luck, maybe they wouldn't even notice her _existence._

But luck wasn't on her side. As soon as she entered the room and spotted an empty seat in the corner, Dan's head whipped up. "Sinead! There you are!"

The brat was going to get it later. Every single eye was on her now, and she suddenly wished she had left the snapback alone. Jonah's eyes had only briefly flickered over her at first, but seemed to freeze once he caught sight of _his_ black and grey snapback on her head.

"Hi," she said shortly, then decided to change course and stand behind the couch where her brothers and Reagan were. She felt more protected there. "What are you guys watching?"

"Some crime show," Hamilton replied. "Cool hat by the way."

Sinead let out a guilty cough and mumbled her thanks.

"Isn't that _my_ hat?" Jonah spoke up, confusion in his voice.

Sinead made herself meet his eyes, putting on her best nonchalance face. "Is it? My bad."

She moved to take it off, but Jonah shook his head. "You can wear it, no biggie…" he trailed, but now his eyes were on her shirt and jacket, the only things that showed above the couch.

Cursing Dan in her head, Sinead looked away and back at the screen.

 _Please, please, please, don't mention in front of everyone that I'm wearing your_ _ **clothes**_ _,_ she tried to telepath to Jonah, _just ask me in private later and—_

"Your jacket's cool too," Dan piped up, causing Sinead's cursing to become even more colorful. "Man Sinead you're really moving up in the fashion world today."

Nellie let out a laugh before she covered her mouth and turned it into a cough. "Sorry, I just choked."

"Let me get you some water," Sinead volunteered, then escaped into the hallway before anyone else could speak.

She could care less about getting Nellie water—that traitor—but she needed the space to think. During the exchange just now, she had caught her brothers puzzled looks, and knew it wouldn't be long before they caught on. The Holts probably wouldn't at all, which was fine with her, unless Dan _told_ them. Jonah of course, already knew.

Speaking of Jonah… she felt dread creep in as she heard footsteps behind her. It was probably him, wanting to know why in the heck she was wearing his stuff. His _stuff_ that happened to smell like the cologne he always wore, making this bet ten times worse. Picking up the pace, she made it into the kitchen and was grabbing a glass from the cupboard before it was confirmed.

"Why are you wearing my clothes? I was looking for that shirt this morning."

Sinead ignored him, went to the fridge, grabbed a gallon of water, and poured until she felt calm enough to look up. "What?" she asked innocently, like she hadn't heard him.

"You heard me. What in the world is going on?"

"Look, I was going to ask you…" she trailed at the look of utter disbelief on his face and let out a sigh, knowing it was pointless to make something up. There was no way he would believe any of her pathetic attempts to explain how it wasn't weird of her to _steal_ his clothes and then wear them.

"I'm experimenting, okay?" she snapped in a 'drop it' tone.

Jonah's brow rose through his lingering disbelief. "Right."

Sinead tried not to notice how attractive the look was on him, and instead concentrated on maneuvering past him to return to the den. He didn't stop her, but he didn't move out of the doorway either, forcing her to brush past him, which in turn, _forced_ her to notice how toned his body was.

 _That's disgusting. He's super vain and egotistical and can't write song lyrics in proper English, let alone_ _ **speak**_ _in proper English. And hasn't your Ekaterina background taught you anything about attractiveness in a person? Attractive people are practical, intelligent, reasonable, innovative, and focused. He defies_ _ **all**_ _of that._

Satisfied once her mind cleared, she returned to the den and gave Nellie the water, a twinge of satisfaction setting in only after she 'accidentally' spilled some on Dan's head.

After that she settled in the chair, avoiding her brother's curious gazes.

—

"What's the deal with Jonah's clothes?"

Sinead pursed her lips. It had only been seconds that she, Ned, and Ted had been left alone after a rather late lunch, and _that_ was the first thing they said?

"It's nice to catch up with you too Ned. Tell me, how has your day gone?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Just tell me. Are you trying to make him mad or what?"

Well, at least Ned didn't think she was hitting on Jonah.

Quickly, she explained how she lost the bet, but concluded with, "You can't tell him though. That was one of the terms: that Jonah can't know."

"That's a pretty nice bet," Ted remarked, his face unreadable. "What do you think Jonah thinks?"

"That I'm flirting with him?" Sinead suggested, then groaned. "I hope not."

"Nah." Ted spoke up again. "More than likely he thinks you're just insane or like Ned said, trying to make him mad."

"You think so?"

Ted gave her a weird look. "Well yes."

"I don't," Ned suddenly said, causing both of his triplet siblings to look at him.

"You don't what?" Sinead finally asked.

"I don't think Jonah thinks that. He keeps looking at you with a confused look on his face. Either that or he's been studying you like he's trying to figure you out."

Sinead had felt the celebrity's stare all afternoon, but chose to ignore it. To her dismay, Madison had finally noticed and asked her about her attire in front of everyone, but Amy diverted everyone's attention and she got out of that one. But it was still unnerving, and she was ready for this day to just be over with.

 _I want things to go back to normal. I hate having that much attention on me, but especially_ _ **his**_ _attention. For some reason, it's throwing me off to know that he's staring at me constantly._

Of course, his reasons for staring weren't the normal reasons a guy _might_ stare at a girl, so she really needed to relax. But it was hard. She wished she could leave and go home, only the party was tomorrow, and would be tough to get out of.

"That's a normal reaction," she heard Ted say. "I mean, if one of the girls here was randomly wearing my clothes, I would be confused too. It's not like Jonah and Sinead talk, or are friends."

"I think he thinks Sinead likes him but doesn't want to come out and say it, so she's trying to drop him a hint," Ned replied.

Sinead felt the color drain from her face, and she bit out, "I'm still standing here! And oh my god I hope not! The last thing his ego needs is _that_."

"He's not that bad—" Ned started, but she interrupted.

"Yes he is. He's always bragging about how 'the ladies' love him and how he could date practically anyone he wants with a snap of his fingers. And did you _hear_ what he said about his album sales and the number of Grammy awards he has? Him thinking that I would actually _like_ someone like—"

"Sinead. We get it."

At her brother's dry response, she looked away. Overreacting wasn't something she normally did, and she was quite aware that she was doing it now. "I'm just saying, I can't wait for this to be over with."

She could feel her brothers' staring a hole in the back of her head, but she chose to ignore them.

"Sinead," Ted said slowly, "You _don't_ like him, right?"

"Of course I don't like him!" was her immediate response, but she kept her head turned so they wouldn't see her blush.

They didn't need to know her inner battle right now, that over the last several hours, part of her was actually starting to enjoy wearing Jonah's stuff. After she had gotten over the initial discomfort, she was aware of how much his clothing smelled like him, and how secure she felt wearing them.

The thoughts—ones that came quick and without mercy—had caused her heart to leap. Was she crazy? Was it just a security thing that came with being a female (she had done her fair share of biology studies after all) or was she, Sinead Starling, actually fighting some sort of attraction for him? She shuddered at the thought.

"We believe you," Ned stated in a tone that indicated otherwise.

"Look, I have things to do."

With that, she brushed past both of her brothers, intent on finding something to distract herself with for the remainder of the day.

—

Sinead managed to keep her distance from Jonah until the day was nearly over. It was remarkably easy, especially when the celebrity skipped dinner that night, claiming to have work to do on his laptop. She hadn't been able to keep the sigh of relief back, but when everyone's eyes turned to her at the table, she pretended to be reacting to something on her cell phone.

Now, she was standing at the bar—positioned in the middle of the Holt's spacious kitchen—talking to Dan, who was standing across from her, and the Holts, who were at the kitchen table to the side. Reagan claimed that the skating rink they were all going to tomorrow was one of the largest ones ever, while Ned (who had just walked in) was arguing that it couldn't possibly be. The others watched in amusement as Reagan started using her 'Tomas' background for credibility, while Ned started rattling off statistics to build his case.

Jonah had walked in directly after her brother, but didn't choose to indulge in conversation, instead burying himself inside of the fridge—not that Sinead was tracking his movement or anything.

The Ekat was just about to call for a truce when Nellie walked in, took in her attire, and started cracking up.

"Is something funny?" Sinead gritted, aware that the arguing had ceased and, once again, everyone was staring at her.

"I'm sorry," Nellie said through her laughter. "But this entire thing is just so funny. I can't believe you lost that bet! Just think though, tomorrow you can go back to wearing your own clothes—" she halted mid-sentence as Jonah suddenly turned from the fridge and stared at Nellie, then at Sinead.

"Oh so you lost a bet? That's why you're wearing my stuff?" Different emotions flashed over the rapper's face, but Sinead couldn't place any of them. She held his gaze though, wondering why her heartbeat suddenly picked up.

"Oops. Didn't see you there," Nellie muttered as Dan glared at her.

But Sinead almost felt relieved. While she didn't want it spread around that she had lost a bet against Dan, it was better than Jonah assuming that she was flirting or hitting on him, or whatever he had thought all day.

"Yes. Why else would I be wearing them?"

But he didn't answer her pointed question, setting the object in his hand down, then moving towards her. Out of the corner of her eye, Sinead could see the others eyeing him curiously, and her own curiosity was heightened, especially when she caught how dark Jonah's eyes suddenly seemed.

 _What is he about to do?_

Her mouth felt like sandpaper as he stepped even closer and she tried to swallow, but couldn't. Jonah didn't say anything, just clasped the brim of the hat between his thumb and forefinger.

His facial expression went from apathetic to contemplative as he studied the hat, then his hand trailed from the hat down the side of her neck, brushing her skin lightly before landing on her shoulder. He did the same thing to the shirt as he did the hat, grasping it between his fingers, only this time Sinead could feel the heat from his touch and almost stopped breathing. But it may have been from the way he was looking at her too, piercing her with his eyes.

 _Why are you letting him do this? Move away!_

But she couldn't. Her body was frozen there, waiting for his next move. Finally after what seemed like an eternity he stepped back and dropped his hand, a small smile playing on his lips.

"You should lose bets more often." His voice broke into the silence, sounding as deafening as a firecracker unexpectedly popping above one's head. "You look good in my clothes."

And then, in a flash, he had snatched the item from the counter and was in the doorway, throwing out a "later" over his shoulder.

Sinead stared after him, unable to move, still feeling like the breath had been knocked out of her.

 _What in the world..._

"Wow. That was intense," Ned's amused voice broke into Sinead's haze.

Snapping her eyes over to him, she caught the smirk on his face and glared at him, then whirled to Dan. "Is this _stupid, senseless,_ bet over yet?"

"Well it's not midnight—" he started, but caught her eye and winced. Sinead didn't know what she looked like, but inside she was _livid_ with him for putting her in the position she had been in only seconds ago. Her skin still burned from Jonah's touch, and she could still feel the heat from his eyes like he was still in the room, and she wanted to _kill_ Dan, the person who was now mumbling, "Uh, sure. Bet's over. Thanks for being such a good sport—"

But Sinead was out of the kitchen and earshot before she even realized she had moved, and she didn't stop until she was sitting on the bed in her temporary room, staring at the wall.

 _What._ Had. Just. Happened?

 _One thing's for sure. I will never bet against Dan Cahill again._

She swallowed, thinking about the way Jonah had looked at her, like he was peering into the depths of her soul.

 _Never._

—

 **I just can't stop writing these little Jonead oneshots…...I keep trying to write about other couples, but it's not working out. I don't know if this is a good thing, or a bad thing. Let me know via review! Haha!**

 **Oh, and I didn't mark this as 'complete' because I might possibly upload this in Jonah's POV as a bonus chapter… I really need to update "Chaotic Relations" first though… ugh…**


	2. Jonah's POV

**Jonah's POV!**

* * *

 _Yo...where is it?_

Jonah frowned around the room, looking for his t-shirt, his brain buzzing. Was he going crazy? Sure, he had drowned a few drinks at the bar last night with some of his cousins, but he hadn't drank _that_ much.

 _I know I packed it. Did it get mixed up with someone else's clothes?_

But that didn't make sense either. He had spotted the shirt last night draped over a chair, and had almost traded it out for the other band shirt he had on. Jonah looked around that area again, but didn't have any luck. Rubbing his head, he decided to just wear something else and figure it out later.

 _That's one of my favorite shirts too,_ he thought, frustrated. Sure, he could have one of his peeps order him another one, but this one had sentimental value. Aerosmith was the first band he had gone to see live; the first _concert_ he had ever seen live, and though the shirt wasn't that old (he had been seven when he attended the show), it still brought back great memories. He had taken Phoenix, his little cousin, to see the band on tour last year, and they both had bought shirts and then stood in line to have them signed. Jonah probably could have skipped the line if anyone had found out who he was, but he had donned a disguise, wanting Phoenix to get the same experience as he had.

Quickly, he pulled on a red t-shirt instead, then grabbed his standard black leather jacket. It would have to do for now, until he could figure out what was going on.

 _I need caffeine. Maybe I did drink too much last night._

—

But the caffeine didn't help, leaving Jonah to conclude that he must have been hallucinating last night when he thought he spotted the shirt, which meant that the non-stop touring he had been doing the past six months was finally getting to him. It was a good thing he had decided to take this break. Not only could he use one, but his cousins were pretty awesome. Though they weren't a crowd of adoring fans, screaming his name and fainting at the sight of him, they knew how to chill. Besides, the space from his regular life was good for him—he wouldn't want to get a big head after all.

"Dude, check out that combo," Hamilton said, eyes glued to the T.V. screen in the den, where the cousins had decided to lounge after breakfast.

"Whoa…" Dan sounded equally impressed, looking up from his phone. "Man where is she?" he mumbled.

Jonah figured he was talking about Sinead—since Dan had made a comment about her absence earlier—though he didn't know what the big deal was. So she had skipped breakfast. Given that she had barely said ten words since she and the Cahill's had arrived, that wasn't shocking. The Ekaterina wasn't as friendly as her brothers, and seemed to have a personal agenda against him.

Jonah's mind flashed back to the last 'get-together' they had all been at, nearly seven months ago.

 _ **~Flashback~**_

 _Jonah caught sight of the Starling triplets walking in. Right away, they were looking around like they wanted to escape._

" _Hey I'll be back in a sec. Gotta go mingle," he told the girl that had been hitting on him. Valerie, he thought her name was? She pouted, but he ignored her and headed towards his distant cousins. Not only did they look like they needed to be rescued, but the Starlings always kind of fascinated him. They kept to themselves, not seeming to even want any part of the spotlight (though with their awesome inventions, Jonah couldn't understand why), and were full-fledged geniuses. The Janus celebrity wouldn't admit it under the threat of death, but he was intrigued by their innovative brains. Besides, Ned Starling was a 'wiz' at computers, something Jonah always wanted to learn about. Too bad he had a rep to think of._

" _Hey my cuz's! What's cracking?"_

 _The three stared at him silently, like they weren't sure who he was or why he was talking to them._

' _They must be floored my by 'star' aura', he thought._

 _Finally, Ned answered, "Hey man. Um, as far as 'what's cracking', we don't' know. We just got here."_

" _I know. I spotted you from over there." Jonah pointed to the spot he had been in, wincing when Valerie caught his gaze and waved, giggling the whole time. When he turned back to his cousins, he could have sworn he saw Sinead rolling her eyes, but when he met her gaze, she was staring blankly back at him._

" _Anyways, we should hang for a bit. I hardly ever get to talk to the 'Ekat' side of the family."_

 _Ted smiled suddenly. "You're pretty busy being a Janus. But it sounds good to me. Maybe we can talk over by the refreshment table?"_

 _Jonah returned the smile, grateful that someone was at least being friendly. Ned smiled too, and they all ambled over to the table. Once they got there, Sinead grabbed a drink and shot him a disdainful look. "I'm going to find Amy."_

 _With that she left, and didn't spare him another look the entire night. Jonah felt slightly confused, but brushed it off. Apparently, she wasn't as sociable as her brothers, and Ned was the one he wanted to mostly talk to anyways._

 **~End Flashback~**

Jonah's mind was brought back to the present by the sound of laughter coming from around him. Not wanting to let on that he hadn't been listening, he let out a chuckle and tuned in. He had caught the phrase "you're stupid man", and "banana challenge", when Dan suddenly exclaimed, "Sinead, there you are!"

Glancing up, the first thing he noticed was that she was wearing a snapback. Immediately, he was impressed with her fashion sense. It kind of looked like one he—wait a second...his eyes studied the hat more closely. Was that _his_ snapback?

"Hi," Sinead replied, then walked over to stand behind the couch. "What are you guys watching?"

Hamilton answered, but Jonah was still trying to figure out why she was wearing his hat, especially without asking him or even saying anything.

"Cool hat by the way," Hamilton added, after he had answered her question about the show.

Was that guilt that flickered briefly across the Ekat's face?

"Isn't that _my_ hat?" Jonah asked, deciding to just come out and ask.

Green eyes met his, but he must have imagined the guilt, because she was giving him that famous blank look of hers. "Is it? My bad."

Her hands went up to it like she was going to remove it. "You can wear it," he assured her. It wasn't like it was a huge deal after all. Maybe some of his stuff _did_ get mixed up with hers (though the thought of her owning a snapback similar to his surprised him). "No biggie…" he trailed, suddenly registering what _else_ she was wearing.

His Aerosmith t-shirt—the one he had been looking for _all_ morning—glared at him beneath the jacket she was wearing, another item he recognized from his wardrobe. What the heck…

As he tried to comprehend, he heard Dan compliment her on the jacket, then Nellie suddenly started laughing. Jonah didn't even look over, his eyes still on Sinead, who spoke up and volunteered to get some water for Nellie. As soon as she disappeared, he stood. "I'm getting a drink too."

Then he set off towards the kitchen, preparing himself to confront the most intimidating person he had ever met.

 _Don't be a baby. You're a worldwide prodigy; no one should scare you._

That thought fueled him, and when he made it to the kitchen, he was right on her heels.

"Why are you wearing my clothes?" he asked, not wasting any time. "I was looking for that shirt this morning."

The auburn-haired girl ignored him, walking to the fridge and pouring a glass of water like he hadn't even spoken.

He stared at her until she looked up, her eyes holding pure nonchalance.

"What?"

The one-worded question astounded him. Was she playing some sort of game here?

"You heard me. What in the world is going on?"

"Look," she stated, like _he_ was the one stealing other people's clothes. Her green eyes were calm, her body relaxed, and he couldn't _believe_ that they were having this conversation.

She had said something else, but he was so dumbfounded that he didn't hear, until her face hardened and she practically spat, "I'm experimenting okay?"

He couldn't help but raise a brow at that one. "Right."

Sinead didn't say another word, starting to walk his way and he knew then that she was about to blow him off. He couldn't move though, and only snapped out of it when the alluring scent of whatever she was wearing hit his senses as she brushed past him. Blinking, he shook himself, scowled at the empty room, and told himself that there had to be a logical reason for her doing this.

 _It's Sinead. She's not the impulsive type._

Then, another thought hit him. She wasn't trying to flirt with him, was she?

He wrote that one off almost instantly. _She's not a crazy fangirl. She doesn't even seem to_ _ **like**_ _me, at all._

It took him a few minutes to clear his head—he blamed it on the perfume. What did they put in that stuff anyways, some kind of chemical with the strength of heroin?—then, he made his way back to the den, determined to figure out what she was playing at.

When he stepped back in though, Dan was scowling at Sinead, his hands patting his hair.

"Sinead, it took me ages to do my hair this morning!"

It took Jonah a second to realize that Sinead had thrown water on Dan. In the next second though, he was wondering why his younger cousin _cared._ He wasn't the type to worry about something like hair.

But luckily, Jonah didn't judge. "Bro, I have just the product for you," he stated.

Before Dan could answer, Jonah had taken him by the elbow and was dragging him to the door.

"But—" Dan started, but he cut him off, not wanting a protest.

"Don't worry, it's no bother. Really."

As soon as Jonah pulled him to the top of the stairs he turned. "What's going on?"

His cousin stared at him blankly, but Jonah kept his eyes on him, impatient. Sure, Sinead seemed like the 'complex' type, but Dan had lived in the same house with her for several years. He had to at least have an _idea_ of what was going through her mind.

"You pulled me up here to ask about Sinead wearing your clothes? What are we, girls?"

Jonah flushed, but tried to hide it. "Yo, I was just wondering. No biggie though. I don't care what she's doing."

"Suuure…"

Ignoring his cousin's 'yeah right' tone, Jonah finished the trek to his room. "Anyways, I've got a 'wiz' trick that will help you out. Stick with it, and you will never have to worry about your hair again. Word."

He eyed his cousin's messy and water-weighed hair, and hoped that he hadn't spoken too soon. "Er, come on."

—

The next hour was torture. Jonah was split between trying to figure out what Sinead was up to, and then acting like he didn't _care_ what Sinead was up to. It was tiring.

 _I thought having my own T.V. show was rough, but that's a piece of cake when put up against trying to figure out the female brain._

For the last few moments, he had been trying to catch her eye, hoping that intimidation would work. But Sinead was good at avoiding eye contact, and hadn't looked at him _one_ time—at least not that he had noticed, since he was trying to be discreet.

 _Stop staring so much,_ he scolded himself, after narrowly escaping getting caught by Nellie. _She and everyone else is going to notice and then it's gonna get weirder._

But he couldn't help it. There was something that kept drawing his attention back to her. If only he could figure out _why_ she was doing this, then he could stop. He thought he would find out when Madison suddenly asked Sinead if she was wearing Jonah's clothes, because they 'looked like his style', but to the celebrity's frustration, Amy had jumped in and told Madison about this website that sold hip hop clothes like that, and how she and Sinead had been browsing it a few weeks ago. Of course, it hadn't answered the Holt's question, but it seemed to satisfy her, and no one else pushed the subject.

Jonah peeked at the redhead again, taking in her casual expression.

 _It's not like I'm staring because she's pretty or anything—not that she's_ _ **not.**_ _Oh crap, Ned is watching me again._

Quickly, he looked at the T.V., relieved to see the credits rolling. Maybe everyone would want to do something active, or better yet, split up.

But Sinead spoke up, ruining those plans. "Are we going to eat soon? I'm starving."

"Well, if you hadn't of skipped breakfast…" Dan trailed, but Hamilton overpowered him.

"I'm hungry too. We should eat after this, and then we can all go do whatever until tonight."

"Tonight?" Jonah asked, though he was only half paying attention. The party wasn't until tomorrow.

"You'll find out," Reagan said mysteriously, then exchanged a look with her siblings. They all started laughing, and the Janus decided that he didn't want to know.

Finally, they were all heading for the kitchen. Jonah sat down right away, but watched Sinead as she lingered in the doorway, half-turned to talk to Amy. It gave him a full view of her outfit—though technically, it was _his_ outfit—and he took the opportunity to study her again while she was standing.

He took in the baggy pants, then let his eyes trail up to the jacket that was obviously too big for her. Skipping the t-shirt—it would only annoy him again—he barely held back his smile as he finally let his eyes land on the snapback still perched on her head. Sinead was like the girl version of him, all decked out in gangster clothes. The clothing was baggy, yes, but there was no hiding the feminine curves that filled them.

All in all, she looked sort of… _cute._

The word left him unsettled, but he couldn't deny it. He never thought it could happen, but Sinead Starling was actually _adorable—_ sexy even—when she was wearing his stuff.

Not a big deal though. He was sure lots of girls would look the same way to him, not just her. He was having a normal 'guy' reaction.

After lunch was done though, and they settled in to watch T.V., _again_ , Jonah knew that he needed to leave, he just wasn't sure how. Somehow, this felt like a contest, a battle of wills (either to see if Jonah would cave and demand an explanation or if Sinead would cave and just tell him what was up) and he didn't want it to look like he was wimping out. But he got his opportunity when Hamilton announced that he wanted to go play ball.

"I'm in dude," Jonah said quickly. "I'm not used to being this lazy."

Someone snorted, but he ignored it, adding, "Usually I only get a day or two of break, then it's back to rehearsals or shows."

Everyone but the Starling triplets decided to play, and Jonah barely held in his relief. Now he was sure to clear his head, and hopefully get some answers soon.

 _I can't believe that one person can get to me like this. Maybe that's her goal, to drive me crazy?_

—

It was growing on him.

Jonah had done a great job of distracting himself—or so he thought—that afternoon. First, he had played four back-to-back basketball games, which completely turned his focus. Then, after a quick shower, he had gone to the store with Hamilton to pick up some more sporting equipment for a game his Tomas cousin wanted everyone to play the next day.

But the second he had walked in the front door, his eyes had immediately scanned the room for a certain someone.

And there she was, sitting in the corner, reading a book, with that _stupid, annoying,_ and _adorable_ look on her face, a look that screamed _'I don't care that I'm driving you insane,'_ and the feeling he had blown off earlier came back.

This time though, he knew what it was. It _wasn't_ just annoyance or confusion; he recognized all of the symptoms: his heart was beating faster just by _looking_ at her, his eyes were drawn to her instantly—like they had been all afternoon—he felt that ping of attraction when he took in her attire (knowing that it was _his_ clothing she was wearing), and more than anything, he wanted to go talk to her. And it wasn't for the reasons he had been telling himself all day. No, instead, he wanted to get to know her as a person, to figure _her_ out.

Yes, he recognized the signs all right—he _liked_ her.

 _Dang it. This isn't good. Not good at all. Why_ _ **her**_ _of all people? She definitely thinks she's better than me, and has a major attitude problem on top of that._

All of a sudden, the air got heavy. He felt like he could barely breathe. Clearing his throat, he stood. "I just remembered some work I gotta do on my laptop."

Reagan frowned at him in disappointment. "I thought you were going to show us how to do a backflip."

"I will later," he promised. "Sorry, it's something to do with my album and I don't want my dad getting mad and making me leave."

It wasn't really lying. There was a song that he was supposed to be finishing the music on that he had been procrastinating for weeks. And his dad _was_ mad at him for not getting it done before this weekend trip.

As soon as Jonah escaped to his room, he leaned against the door and closed his eyes, trying to think this through.

He wasn't the type to lie to himself—not only was he getting used to Sinead wearing his stuff, but he actually _liked_ it.

 _It's a total turn-on. And now I'm stuck thinking about her that way, when she obviously doesn't return any of the sentiments._

But there was nothing he could do about it for now, and he really did need to work on the music for his next album.

Jonah got to work, and could have kept working for hours, if it hadn't been for his stomach protesting that he'd skipped dinner.

 _I'm really making progress on this beat though, and my creativity is rolling._

But he knew that his 'creativity' would probably be overpowered by his hunger soon.

 _I'll just grab a little snack from the kitchen; just enough to keep me going long enough to finish._

He was so focused that though he registered his cousins all congregated in the kitchen, he didn't even stop to say hi or look at anyone. They didn't seem to mind. In fact, they were so caught up in arguing about some skating rink that he figured he could get his snack and leave before they even registered his presence.

Jonah had just spotted some mozzarella string cheese and had snatched two packages when Nellie's laugh came to his ears. He didn't think anything about it, until these words followed: "Is something funny?"

Sinead. He hadn't even noticed her presence, but before he could think of anything else, Nellie replied.

"I'm sorry, but this entire thing is just so funny. I can't believe that you lost that bet!"

 _Bet? What bet?_

"Just think though, tomorrow you can go back to wearing your own clothes—"

Jonah whirled around, staring at the older girl—who was staring back with a startled expression—then at Sinead.

"Oh so you lost a bet? That's why you're wearing my stuff?" he asked, his brain buzzing. Why hadn't he thought of that? Disappointment rushed through him, though it was irrational, but something else too—curiosity. Why hadn't Sinead told him then? Was there something else there after all? He was about to find out.

"Yes. Why else would I be wearing them?" Sinead answered, a hint of challenge in her voice.

But Jonah swore he saw something _else_ on her face too. Suddenly not caring how she reacted, he set the cheese on the counter and moved in. He had to know if she at least felt a _little_ of what he felt every time he was near her.

Her body seemed to freeze in place as he halted in front of her, but his focus turned to the snapback that was still on her head. Heart beating in his chest but trying to play it off, he grasped the edge of it, pretended to study it, then trailed his hand down her neck. Her skin was so soft—tempting him to linger—but he resisted, letting his hand rest on her shoulder and onto his favorite shirt that he kinda wanted her to keep now and wear again.

Feeling the warmth coming from her skin, mixed with the faint smell of the perfume she had been wearing that morning almost made him confess right there, but he kept his cool, looking up and into her eyes. A mesmerizing green, they were staring back, almost panicked, and as he stood there and studied her, he suddenly _knew._

Deciding to give her some space to figure _it_ —the fact that she liked him too—out, he stepped back and let his hand fall to his side. But he wasn't able to help the smile from forming on his face, _or_ his next words.

"You should lose bets more often," he informed her, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen in the room ever since he had moved towards her. "You look good in my clothes."

Then he swiftly but calmly grabbed his cheese from the counter and retreated, barely remembering to call a 'later' over his shoulder to the still-silent group.

Whistling, he hurried up the stairs, inspiration hitting him like a torpedo. Jonah felt great, like he could write an entire song tonight—after he finished his music for his other one of course.

Suddenly, the world was a lot brighter than it had been minutes ago.

—

As soon as Jonah had cleared the room, followed closely by a flustered, angry Sinead, Ned turned to Ted. "Pay up."

His brother reluctantly pulled out his wallet, counted out one hundred dollars, then handed it over.

"Thanks."

"Wait, what was _your_ bet over?" Nellie asked, curiosity ringing in her voice.

Ned glanced at her, a smirk still on his lips. "Over whether or not Sinead has feelings for a certain someone."

It clicked with everyone right away, but Madison frowned. "How do you know? She didn't confess or anything."

Ned exchanged a look with Ted, but it was Nellie who answered.

"Ohhh yeah." She turned to the others. "Sinead never would have let Jonah do that just now if she didn't like him, OR have gotten so angry with Dan either. Good observation."

Ted shrugged. "She's our sister. Anyways, I have a new bet that we can _all_ participate in."

"I'm all ears," Reagan said, leaning in.

"Okay so here it is." Ted wasn't one for theatrics, but couldn't resist pausing dramatically before he asked, "How long do we think it will take her to figure it out?"

Looks were exchanged, eyes gleamed, eyebrows raised—and wagers were made.

* * *

 **The end! I wasn't as crazy about the flow of this compared to the one in Sinead's POV, but it was fun to write!**


End file.
